One in four deaths among men aged 15-29 in Europe is now attributable to alcohol, as “binge drinking” penetrates youth culture in both the industrialised and developing world, Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, the director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), told a European ministerial conference on young people and alcohol in Stockholm.

Globally 140 million people now have alcohol dependency, which damages public and private lives, economies, and family life. Dr Brundtland said: “Data from across the world suggests that a culture of sporadic, heavy, or binge drinking among young people may now be increasing also in developing countries. While overall rates of adult per capita consumption are falling in many countries, young people are too often drinking …